Phoenix (Episode)
|season=Season 3 |episode=2 (46 in total) |air_date=October 8, 2003 |previous_episode=Exile |next_episode=Extinction }} "Phoenix" is the second episode in the third season of Smallville, and forty-sixth episode overall. It aired on October 8, 2003. Summary returns from the dead and faces his father and his wife. also returns to and tries to repair his relationships with Lana and Chloe. Morgan Edge follows Clark to Smallville demanding the package Clark stole for him. Recap and a -infected fall into an area of below street-level and begin a brutal and destructive super-powered fight. Jonathan sees Clark's scar for the first time. Clark runs at Jonathan and pins him to the wall. Jonathan finally gets through to Clark by daring him to kill him if that's how he was raised. Instead of punching him, Clark hits the wall and the red ring shatters. Clark's scar burns away, and he is restored to his normal self. Jonathan passes out and Clark runs to help him up. is waiting for them to arrive when Clark and Jonathan stumble through the door. Martha runs into Clark's arms as he starts apologizing for everything. Jonathan collapses onto the sofa and Clark worries that whatever Jor-El AI did to him was too much for his body to handle. is in his office contemplating his stolen package when he is approached by a cloaked figure, which turns out to be Lex. Lex pulls a gun on him and demands to know why Lionel tried to have him killed. He wants to know where is and is surprised to find out that she is alive and well in his mansion. Lionel tells Lex Helen's version of their plane crash: the pilot bailed and left them with only one parachute. Lex sacrificed himself by giving it to Helen. But Lionel says he doesn't believe her. Lex refuses to believe that Helen is responsible and Lionel points out that he had nothing to gain, but Helen is now one of the richest women in the world. He says Lex should ask her about the vial of blood that he returned to her. At the Kawatche Caves, Clark asks Jonathan why Jor-El helped him and guesses that they made some kind of a deal. Jonathan doesn't offer any details, saying the important thing is that Clark has his life back. Clark says he's not sure he wants it back because as , he could do whatever he wanted. Jonathan says that Clark's problems might not be gone, but at least now they can deal with them as a family. Clark shows Jonathan the package that Morgan Edge hired him to steal from Lionel Luthor. back at the barn they open it and realize that it is Clark's vial of blood. They speculate on why Lionel would want his blood as Jonathan destroys the sample. Edge and Lionel are discussing their old friendship in his office. Lionel asks him about the missing vial and it is revealed that Edge paid Helen for its location. Lionel knows Edge stole it and threatens to put him away for life unless he brings it back in 24 hours. Lionel says that he has evidence of Edge's involvement in a murder. Clark goes to the and tentatively approaches Lana. He apologizes for the way he acted in Metropolis. Lana says she doesn't know how to respond to him because he says he keeps secrets to protect her, but he's the only thing that keeps hurting her. Clark admits that he's not even sure if he will stay. Lana goes in a back room and starts to cry, while Clark looks helpless. Later, Lex approaches Helen in the and she tells him another version of the story: that they had been drugged by the pilot and she couldn't wake Lex. She took the only parachute and left him. He asks her about the vial, and she explains Lionel promised if she gave it to him he'd leave them alone. She tells Lex that she will comply if he wants to get the marriage annulled but she does love him. Edge goes to the Kent farm and asks Clark where the package is. When Clark admits that he doesn't have it, Edge threatens to call the police. Clark pretends to get angry, rips the door off the car, and tells Edge never to come to Smallville again. Clark goes to the office to apologize to . He thanks her for not telling anyone where he was all summer and he admits he hasn't decided whether to stay in Smallville. Chloe argues that he needs to stop running away and face his demons. Lex finds Clark packing. Clark is happy to see that Lex isn't dead. Lex offers to help with the farm, but Clark says Jonathan probably wouldn't accept.and Lex explains that he had a severe case of malaria but was rescued. Later, Chloe approaches Lana and asks why she's avoiding her, and Lana admits that she is still angry that Chloe knew where Clark was all summer and didn't tell anyone. Chloe is tired of fighting with her and explains the pressure Clark put on her to keep . She liked being the person that Clark confided in, but she has to admit that the reason he is more comfortable talking with her than with Lana is because Clark is not in love with her. At the mansion, Helen tells Lex that she is leaving for a while to give him space. Lex surprises her by asking if they can give their honeymoon a second try. Clark finds Edge on the farm again, but this time he is holding Jonathan and Martha captive in the barn. He threatens to kill Clark's parents unless he produces the package. Clark realizes he can't save both his parents, so he takes a meteor rock out of a lead box and uses it to slash his forearm and bleed into a mason jar. He collapses to the ground as he tells Edge that that's what he was looking for. Edge takes the jar of blood to Lionel who tests it to make sure it is identical. Edge then reveals that it is not the original sample, he got a new sample from the source. He calls his thugs, who tape the meteor rock to Clark's chest and drag him into the moving van just as Lana pulls up. One of them drives away with Clark while the other takes Lana into the barn. Lana quickly sizes up the situation, smashes the thug's instep with her boot and grabs a shovel. As the thug advances, Martha trips him and he falls on his face. As he levels his weapon at Martha, Lana smashes him over the head with the shovel. He drops the gun. Lana goes for it. The thug regains his footing and lunges for the weapon. Instead of shooting him, Lana kicks him and knocks him back against a pitchfork, impaling him. On board their private jet, Lex reveals that he still thinks Helen tried to kill him. He has done some research and discovered that the area where he was found was unreachable with the amount of fuel they took off with, so he investigated every island in the area and discovered that Helen landed in St. Croix at 7:59 PM. He guesses that Helen drugged him and paid the pilot to drop her off and crash the plane with Lex inside. Helen pulls a gun and Lex tries to take it from her; in the struggle, they shoot the pilot. The plane starts to go down and Lex rushes into the cockpit to take over the controls, while Helen parachutes away. Clark finds a piece of glass in the moving van. He cuts the binding on his hands and removes the kryptonite from his chest just as he reaches the docks. Lionel approaches the truck with the driver just as Clark blasts a propane tank with his , blowing the truck up. Lionel accuses Edge of setting up a trap to kill him, but Edge claims ignorance. Lionel's guards rush him to safety and open fire on Edge. Edge falls in the water as Clark climbs out. Lex arrives home to find Lionel at the mansion congratulating him on turning the tables on Helen. Lex admits to Lionel that all the tests he's put him through helped him survive on the island and says he wants to take Lionel up on his offer to run together. Lionel accepts and they embrace. Lex seems genuinely relieved, but Lionel seems worried about this new phase in their relationship. The Kents are continuing to pack when Clark tells them that he told the Metropolis police where the stolen money was, and that he has decided to stay in Smallville and face his problems. Lex arrives and gives Jonathan the deed to the farm. He tells Jonathan that the compass he gave him allowed him to find the island that saved his life. Jonathan says he will pay him back but Lex just hopes to be considered part of the family. Clark is hanging the sign when Lana rides up on horseback. She pleads with Clark to trust her. Clark says that the way he acted in Metropolis is a part of him and Lana was clearly disgusted by it. He says that he never wants her to feel that way again, and he tried, but he can never be the right guy for her. He tells her that their relationship will never work and Lana turns and leaves, saying he never had to try. Cast Starring * Clark Kent * Lana Lang * Lex Luthor * Chloe Sullivan * Lionel Luthor * Martha Kent * Jonathan Kent Special Guest Star * Morgan Edge Guest Starring * Dr. Helen Bryce Co-Starring * Dr. Lia Teng Notes * Antagonists: Morgan Edge and Helen Bryce. * This is the first time that Lana's maroon Jeep Liberty is seen. * Other than the line of dialogue in which Clark says he called the police to tell them where stolen cash was, no other mention has been made of how Clark and his parents reconcile the fact that Clark robbed banks and ATM's and stole thousands of dollars to pay for a penthouse apartment and a luxury car. * Chloe remarks that Clark ended "two years of Lana-lusting" pretty easily, but in fact, Clark has, by his own admission, been lusting over Lana since primary school and continues to do so. * The scar fades into a yellow Superman shield just before it disappears. * This episode marks the first official break-up of Clark and Lana. * Dr. Teng is the tenth DC Comics character adapted into the series, albeit with a gender change. * This is the third episode to follow a previous episode that had ended with "To be continued" making it and Exile an official 2-part story. Other such episodes that follow up "To be continued" episodes are Vortex, Exodus, Arrival, Vessel, Zod, Bizarro, and Lazarus. * Jonathan seems to have forgotten about Kryptonite#Green, when he thought about possible ways to get his son back, and eventually he wouldn't have died. Spoilers * The scientist in Lionel's limousine who tests Clark's blood sample is revealed to be Dr. Lia Teng in Velocity. * Four years after the events in this episode, Clark admits to Lana in Siren that he still feels guilty for his crime spree. * Lex's final words to Helen about having no doubt he'll rise from the ashes again one day, despite being years into the future, foreshadows his resurrection at the end of the series. * Lex told Helen that if his father wanted him dead he wouldn't have failed. At the end of this season Lionel would indeed try to have Lex killed, but he would survive even that. Quotes : : You can't keep running away, Clark. We all do things we regret. Sometimes you have to stop and face your demons. : : I guess we've all got to take a look at our dark side sooner or later. : : The problem is if you stare at it long enough, it can get hard to tell the two sides apart. : : He wasn't exactly the charming flannel king we all know and love. It was like he was a-- : : A different person. : : Yeah. I mean, let's face it, Lana. Clark has more issues than Rolling Stone. : : I haven't been able to stop thinking about the accident and there is something that's been right in front of my eyes. If my father wanted me dead, he wouldn't have failed. : : Go ahead. I've become quite adept at cheating death. In fact, I have no doubt that I'll rise from the ashes again. : : It is our honeymoon, I would hate for you to doze off. You never know, you might wake up to find me gone. : : Lex, that's not funny. : : I guess you had to be there. Category:Episodes Category:Smallville Episodes Category:Smallville Season 3 Episodes